


GUTS

by Vicsmi



Series: Malec and Movie Plots [1]
Category: Nerve (2016), Shadowhunters (TV), The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Blue-Eyed Alec Lightwood, F/M, Fear, M/M, Phobias, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-09
Updated: 2020-05-09
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:40:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,856
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24091474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vicsmi/pseuds/Vicsmi
Summary: Alec Lightwood likes to stay in his comfortzone. He has no problem with sitting on the sidelines, watching his best friend, who likes to be seen and heard. That is, until she points out these qualities as his flaws.When an online game filled with adrenaline-fueled stunts rolls into town, Alec sees it as the perfect possibility to prove his friend wrong. He joins the game but soon discovers just how dangerous the game can actually become.Basically NERVE with Malec!
Relationships: Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, Malec - Relationship
Series: Malec and Movie Plots [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1738063
Comments: 2
Kudos: 29





	1. Do you have the guts?

**Author's Note:**

> So this is my first work in "Malec and Movie Plots." I hope you enjoy it! :)

_‘To whom it may concern,_

_I regret to inform the admissions board of Brooklyn Academy of Arts, that I must decline’_

_No, that sounds too formal… Why Am I declining again?_

_‘...that I must decline because I’m a spineless coward and too afraid to tell my parents that I got into art school and yutdwefjhebfguawy!’_

_Fuck it. I’ll send it later…_ Alec thought as he erased his reply to the acceptance email to one of the best art schools in the country. One that was conveniently in the same city he lived in now. But he couldn’t muster up the strength to tell his parents… Not after Izzy… 

A notification sounded on his laptop, it was Jace who had tagged him in a photo on Facebook. He clicked on the notification and a black and white picture of Jace Herondale filled his screen, bright smile and blonde hair. It was a picture Alec had taken the week before. 

_‘Go Cougars! And thanks for this awesome pic Alec Lightwood!’_

Alec smiled to himself. It really was a good picture, but only because it was Jace. His smile was so bright and… Sexy. He was just about to like the picture when Skype started to sound. It was Clary video calling him. Clary was one of Alec’s best friends, they’d known each other since kindergarten. A picture of her accompanied the call, her red hair in waves around her face, green eyes bursting with colour. Alec had taken that picture too. He clicked on ‘accept.’

“Good morning! What are you up to, I mean besides Facebook stalking Jace?” She asked him in a teasing tone. 

  
“What? I-I’m not stalking anyone, I-” Alec stuttered out. 

“Relax, I’m teasing!” Clary called out and started to walk around in her bedroom. 

“Not funny!” Alec laughed out. 

“So have you told your parents about BAA yet?” She asked.

“Yeah of course, they were super happy. They loved the idea of my college fund going towards an art degree and not accounting, or pre-med, or something other super fancy they could brag about to their snooty friends.” Alec said, voice dripping with sarcasm.

“Oh sweetie, they’ll come around… Wait, GUTS is starting, just hold on.” She said, now in front of her laptop again.

“What’s GUTS? It sounds like some crappy horror movie…” Alec thought out loud. 

“I’m sending you the link, watch the video.” She instructed, and Alec did. 

Alec’s screen filled with a series of unnerving GIFs, with a creepy, computerized voice-over that said;

_Welcome to GUTS, New York City. GUTS is a 24 hour game._

_It’s like truth or dare, but without the truth._

_Watchers pay to watch, players, play to win cash and glory._

_Are you a watcher or a player? Are you a watcher or a player? Do you have the guts?_

“Cool, right? I’m playing.” Clary said with a smile. 

“I don’t know, it looks super sketchy. Is this even legal?” Alec asked incredulously. 

“Probably not, but hey I need watchers, so sign up and watch me, it’s important!” Clary said and pointed a finger at him, serious look on her face. 

“Fine, I’ll do it later. I need to go help mom make breakfast.” Alec said and ended the call before Clary could protest. They would see each other at school soon anyways. 

He went out into the kitchen where his mom was making pancakes. 

“Need some help?” He asked. 

“No, they’re almost done. Thank you though.” Maryse said with a smile. 

Alec nodded and set the table instead, his father Robert and his younger brother Max came into the kitchen. 

“Good morning!” Robert said chipperly. 

“Morning.” Alec said with a smile. 

Maryse put the pancakes on the table and they all took their seats. After a while Robert spoke. 

“So, heard anything from any colleges yet, Alec?” He asked, looking at his oldest son.

“No, nothing yet.” Alec lied, stuffing his mouth full of pancakes.

“No need to worry, it’s still early.” Maryse said with a strained smile. 

Alec hadn’t actually applied to any of the colleges his parents wanted him to go to. He had applied only to art schools, and he’d been accepted to every one of them. Although BAA was the best, and they had offered him a partial scholarship, which was great. He just hadn’t told his parents yet, he knew they would be disappointed. 

ıllıllııllıllı

After a dreadfully slow day at school, there was a football pep rally, their own Cougars running around the field, and the cheerleaders, Clary included, were hopping around, pepping the audience. Alec wasn’t much of a sports person, but he had to snap some yearbook photos of the players, which included Jace. Not that that had anything to do with it. Or well, maybe a little. 

Alec stood at the bottom of the stands, taking photos of the cheerleaders. Behind him sat Simon, one of his best friends, and Lydia, another friend. Clary jumped around with her pom poms, but when she spotted her friends she ran towards them. She hugged Alec and Simon, then she gave her phone to Lydia.

“Film me.” She said and Lydia did. “Hello my dearest watchers. It’s your one and only Clary_Baby, and I’m counting on _you_ to get me to the final round, okay? Don’t let me down, and I won’t let you down, promise! Kisses!” She said, blowing a kiss to the camera, then she ran out on the field again. 

Alec looked at her with a cocked eyebrow, wondering what in the hell was going on. Clary just ran to the other cheerleaders, and they did their routine. Simon shrugged at Alec’s questioning look, so he just raised his camera and snapped a few shots. Someone was yelling through a megaphone. When the cheerleaders went into their final poses, Clary turned around, and lifted her skirt, showing her naked butt to the whole crowd. Alec’s jaw dropped. _What is she doing?!_ The band stopped playing, and the guy with the megaphone spoke.

“How about that ass though?!” He exclaimed happily, and the crowd cheered. 

Alec glanced over at Lydia, on Clary’s phone was the text ‘DARE COMPLETE.’ Was it a dare? Seemed kind of shifty, but okay. Alec shrugged it off as another Clary thing, and kept photographing the pep rally. 

ıllıllııllıllı

After school they were all gathered in their favourite fast food joint, eating pizza and fries. 

"Did you know that the app can tell what your fears are?" Lydia informed the others.

"What? How?" Clary asked with a raised eyebrow. 

"I don't know, I guess if it was ever online or something..." Lydia thought out loud.

  
“Oh well, they can know I'm afraid of heights, ain't gonna stop me from playing! Look how many watchers I have!” Clary exclaimed happily, showing her phone to Lydia. 

“OMG, that’s so cool!” Lydia said, looking at the numbers.

“You got suspended, why are you still playing?” Alec asked and took a handful of fries from Simon and ate them under Simon’s protest. 

“Are you kidding? Getting suspended was totally worth it! Have you seen the winner of the Seattle games? She’s like Insta-famous. I want to be like her!” Clary told him. 

“I don’t get it.” Alec scoffed.

“Of course you don’t, but that’s okay sweetie. You like to stay in your comfort zone, and that’s okay. But I’m an adrenaline junkie, I need stuff like GUTS to live.” Clary said.

  
“Of course you do, both figuratively and literally.” Simon added, causing both Lydia and Alec to laugh. Clary just rolled her eyes. 

“Whatever. I just mean, you need to take some risks every now and then, Alec.” She said and put a hand on his. 

“I take risks…” Alec defended.

“Yeah, when have you ever taken a risk?” Clary said with a laugh. 

“Well, I came with you to that modern dance class, didn’t I?” Alec shot back. 

“Sweetie, you sat in the corner and watched.” She said. 

“Why are you attacking him?” Simon asked her in Alec’s defense. 

“I’m not! I’m just saying that people are different. That’s why you’re more of a watcher than a player.” Clary said.

“I could be a player!” Alec said, getting annoyed.

  
They all laughed, even Simon. 

“Okay, sure. We’re hypothetically playing GUTS, what would be a good dare for Alec?” Clary asked them. 

“Kiss Jace!” Lydia exclaimed.

“Hey, baby steps. Maybe _talk_ to Jace?” Simon tried to suggest. 

“Okay, sure, talk to Jace. Then the watchers vote. Yes, yes, and no? Okay, majority says yes, then you have to do it.” Clary explained. 

“No, he can decline the dare but then he loses the game, out for good.” Lydia clarified. 

“Right. So what’s it gonna be? Accept or decline?” Clary asked Alec. 

He looked behind him where Jace and the other football players were hanging out. He gulped.

“What’s the point? We’re graduating soon, and-” He said.

“See?” Clary interrupted. “I’m sorry Alec, but you’re a watcher. So watch me do it for you.” She said and stood up. Alec panicked. 

“Clary, no! Stop, sit down!” He told her, but she just ignored him and went to the football players. 

“Hey, Jace!” She said, and the blonde looked up at her, the others quieting down. 

“What’s up, Clary?” He said with his blinding smile. 

“I was wondering, are you dating anyone right now?” She asked with a sweet smile, then added, “It’s not for me, it’s for a friend.” 

“Uhm, which friend?” He said. 

Clary pointed in Alec’s direction. Jace looked at Alec, and the raven haired man waved awkwardly.

“Not really my type.” Jace said apologetically to Clary. 

“Why because he’s a guy? We all know you’re bi, Jace.” She pushed. 

“It’s not that, he’s just…” Jace trailed off, looking down at the table. 

“Wow. Okay, I get it. You’re not _nearly_ as hot as you think you are, Jace. Douche move.” She said and walked back to her friends. 

Alec glared at her, then took his bookbag and left the restaurant, ignoring the calls of his friends to come back. He got on his bike and put his earphones in and cranked the music up, wanting to ignore the world while he was peddling home. He was fuming, why on earth would Clary do something like that? Did she _want_ to humiliate him? School was going to be extremely awkward on Monday… 

When he got home he ran into his room, threw the bag on his bed, and stood in front of the mirror. His raven hair was unruly as usual, and his blue eyes looked so… Lifeless? Boring? He wore plain jeans, black converse, a plain t-shirt, and his favourite hoodie that looked a little worn. Of course Jace wouldn’t go for someone like him… Everything about him was dull and uninteresting, he thought. His phone beeped and he read the text from Clary. 

_‘Please, Alec I’m sorry! You’re way too smart for him anyways!’_

He scoffed and didn’t reply. Then his phone beeped again. This time it was Simon.

_‘Screw Clary, okay? Not everyone has to be a player!’_

Alec knew it was supposed to be comforting, but it just pissed him off even more. He glanced at his laptop, where the GUTS video was still on display. He sat down at the desk and thought it over. He _could_ be a player. He wanted to prove Clary wrong and then shove it right in her stupid face. Fuck it, he was going to play!


	2. Are you a watcher or a player?

_ ‘Rule #1, all dares must be filmed on the player’s phone.’ _

_ ‘Rule #2, there are only two ways to lose the game, fail or bail.’ _

_ ‘Rule #3, snitches get stitches.’  _

_ Well that was alarming…  _

_ ‘Watchers are encouraged to film live, so don’t be alarmed. Good luck, player, and thank you for keeping GUTS a secret. Do you have the guts?’  _

Alec stared at the screen.  _ What did I just do? _ His phone sounded, and an ID thumbprint showed up. Alec put his thumb on the screen and the game began. 

_ ‘Are you ready for your first dare?’  _ The screen asked. 

Alec clicked on ‘yes.’ Then he saw his first dare. Shit. He dialed Simon’s number. 

“Simon? Hey.”

_ “Hey Alec, are you okay?” _ Simon asked through the phone.

“Yeah, I’m fine but I need to be at Comet Diner in 15 minutes, can you drive me?”

_ “Uhm, sure. Be there in 3.” _

“Thanks.” He ended the call and went outside to wait for Simon.

Once in the car Simon spoke first.

“I can’t believe you signed up as a player…” He said.

“Why is that so hard to believe?” Alec scoffed.

“It’s not that, it’s just… You know some kid supposedly died in Seattle playing GUTS last year?”

“I don’t buy it. If kids were dying they’d shut it down.” Alec said in disbelief. 

“No, that’s the thing. It’s connected to thousands of different servers. Every time someone new logs into the app a new server is created. You can’t just shut it down.” Simon explained. 

“How do you know so much if you’ve never even played the game?” Alec asked him. 

“I spend a lot of time on the dark web. But that’s besides the point. The game is dangerous, I don’t want you to get hurt.” He said and looked at Alec.

“I won’t.” Alec said and looked out the window. 

When they arrived at the diner his phone lit up. He’d passed the first dare. Then another dare popped up. 

_ ‘Kiss a stranger for 5 seconds, $100.’ _

“Seriously?” Simon said as he looked at Alec’s screen. 

“Apparently.” Alec said and looked around. 

He was gay, so his first instinct was to kiss a boy, but he really didn’t want his ass kicked in case the guy turned out to be straight. Although randomly kissing a girl was just as dangerous, generally because women were extremely cautious about strangers, and he could end up getting peppersprayed. 

He walked slowly further into the diner, glancing at the different people. There were not a lot of options, there were mostly truckers in there, and hopefully he wouldn’t have to kiss one of them. He saw a girl who looked kind of chill, maybe her? Oh, she was on a date, that might be awkward… Then he spotted something. 

Someone was reading his favourite book, The Great Gatsby. The guy lowered the book a little and Alec’s heart skipped a beat. He was gorgeous. Alec couldn’t see much of him from where he was standing, but he could see that he wore a leather jacket, and he wore gray, glittery eyeshadow and thick, black eyeliner. He had honey coloured skin, and his eyes were brown, shifting almost yellowish under the diner’s lights. Even if this guy turned out to be straight, Alec doubted he would be  _ that _ angry if he kissed him. Or well, he hoped.

His phone lit up, time was running out. He gave the phone to Simon who filmed him, then without a second thought he sat down in the booth, next to the guy, and when he looked up from the book Alec kissed him. He counted down in his head.  _ 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. _ Okay, he was done. He tried to pull back, but the guy cupped his jaw and kissed back. He was a really good kisser, and his lips were soft and warm. When they broke apart, Alec spoke.

“Thanks.” He said, and rushed to Simon who showed him the phone. 

_ ‘DARE COMPLETE.’ _

“I can’t believe I just did that!” Alec exclaimed, high on adrenaline. 

“I can’t believe it either!” Simon said with wide eyes. 

Alec looked back, but the booth that held the stranger was now empty. 

“Where did he go?” Alec asked.

“I don’t know, but look! It says $100 has been wired to your account.” Simon said and pointed at the phone. 

“Wow… Should I check?” Alec asked, but was interrupted by singing. 

_ “This was never the way I planned _

_ Not my intention _

_ I got so brave, drink in hand _

_ Lost my discretion” _

He looked around, and on the other side of the diner, the stranger was serenading another stranger, or well, several of them. He danced around the diner and sang to the different people. He jumped up on the tables, slowly making his way towards him and Simon. Then it clicked.

“OMG, I think he’s singing to me!” Alec exclaimed, a blush turning his cheeks a burning red. 

_ “It's not what, I'm used to _

_ Just wanna try you on _

_ I'm curious for you _

_ Caught my attention” _

The stranger kept dancing and singing, and Alec couldn’t stop watching. The guy sported a pair of black, ripped jeans, biker boots, and a t-shirt underneath his leather jacket with the smiley of Nirvana on it. He looked really good! 

_ “I kissed a boy and I liked it _

_ The taste of his cherry chapstick _

_ I kissed a boy just to try it _

_ I hope my girlfriend don't mind it” _

The stranger finally ended the song, jumping down in front of Alec. A girl handed him his phone back. 

“Nice job, you completed your dare.” Alec said with a smile. 

“Yeah. You weren’t too bad yourself, pretty-eyes.” The stranger said and sat down next to Simon who looked extremely annoyed at having his personal space invaded. 

“Right, sorry. That was totally embarrassing.” Alec said and blushed again. 

“No worries, dares are supposed to be. I sort of figured something like that would happen, my dare told me to sit in that booth, then someone handed me that book.” The stranger explained. 

“The Great Gatsby… My favourite…” Alec said mostly to himself. 

“That’s what I’m talking about, they probably know your favourite band is Linkin Park too. It’s all on your Facebook, that app knows all of your info, it’s sketchy, Alec.” Simon said.

“Oh, your name’s Alec?” The stranger asked with a smile. 

“Short for Alexander.” Alec said. 

“Cool, but I think I like Alexander, it’s beautiful.” The stranger shamelessly flirted. 

“Only Izzy used to-” Simon said but Alec cut him off.

“Okay, we get it, Simon.” 

“Anyways, I have a game to play, but it was nice to meet you, Alexander. Later, Stephen.” He said with a grin and got up. He was stopped by both his and Alec’s phones beeping. 

“What? What is it?” Simon asked and looked at Alec’s phone. 

_ ‘Go to the city with him, $200.’ _ The screen read. 

“Apparently the watchers like us together.” The stranger said. 

“No, Alec. You can’t go to the city.” Simon exclaimed. 

“Does Sean here always tell you what to do?” The stranger asked with a smirk. 

“It’s  _ Simon _ ! And please, Alec, you can’t be serious.” Simon said with wide eyes. 

“I’ll be outside, if you decide to come.” The stranger said with a smirk and left the diner. 

“It’s $200, I can’t pass it up.” Alec said apologetically and left after the stranger, leaving Simon there, completely stunned. 

Outside he found the stranger, straddling a motorcycle. That explained the jacket and the boots… 

“I was hoping you’d come.” The stranger said with a wink.

Alec blushed. The stranger extended a helmet to him, but he didn’t take it. 

“You know if you’re looking for a partner to play the game with, my friend Clary is much better, she’s kind of obsessed with GUTS and I’m not really an adrenaline junkie or anything like that…” He rambled on.

“And yet, the watchers prefer me with you…” The stranger said, a smile still in place. 

Alec walked over to him slowly. He thought it over. After a while he took the helmet that was offered. 

“The second I feel uncomfortable, I’m out.” He said seriously, looking at the stranger. 

“Fair enough.” He said with a smile. 

Alec put on the helmet and swung a leg over the bike. He didn’t really know what to do with his hands, so the stranger took them and placed them around himself. Alec could feel the abs underneath his shirt, and blushed. Thank God the other man couldn’t see it. 

“Hold on tight.” The stranger said through his helmet and started the bike, making his way towards the city, Alec holding on as best as he could.


	3. What's your size?

Clary had just finished a dare in the city. She had to fake fart on people. Super embarrassing, but at least her watchers were increasing. 

“Who’s your favourite playa’?” She asked proudly when she returned to Lydia. 

“Well I  _ was _ going to say you, but now I’m not so sure…” Lydia said with a smile, showing Clary her phone. 

Clary watched as Alec rode a motorcycle behind some stranger, he had a lot of watchers. 

“What the hell? Why is Alec playing?” She asked in an annoyed voice. 

“Maybe because of what you said earlier…” Lydia responded. 

ıllıllııllıllı

The stranger stopped his motorcycle outside of Bergdorf’s. They got off and saw their screens light up.

_ ‘DARE COMPLETE.’ _

“So do I go in with you or…?” Alec asked. 

“I don’t know. It doesn’t say anything about it.” The stranger said as he put his and Alec’s helmets away. 

“Okay, then I should get home.” Alec said with an awkward smile. 

“You’re gonna be okay?” 

“Yeah, I’ll just take the ferry.” Alec responded.

  
“Okay. I have to go in but, it was nice meeting you, Alexander.” The stranger said with a smile. 

Then he crossed the street and went into the huge store. Alec was just about to make his way to the ferry when his phone beeped. 

_ ‘Try on this suit, $500.’ _ It read.

There was a picture of a black, very expensive looking suit accompanied to the dare. He thought it over. $500 was a lot, especially for just trying on a suit. He accepted and made his way into Bergdorf’s. 

He walked in and was met with one of the fanciest store he’d seen. He wasn’t much of a shopper, so maybe he just didn’t have anything to compare it to. But everything looked so clean and expensive. And it was huge! How was he going to find the suit in here? The store was several stories high. He looked around and spotted a clerk behind a counter. He walked over there and asked where he could find the suit, showing the clerk the picture of it.

“You do know that’s a  _ very _ expensive suit, don’t you?” The clerk said, eyeing Alec from top to bottom, taking in his very plain, cheap looking clothes. Alec blushed a little under the clerk’s peering eyes.

“I know.” Alec said a little unsurely. 

“4th floor.” The clerk said after a while. 

Alec smiled in thanks and went to the elevator. When he stepped out on the 4th floor he looked around, it was hard to find the right suit as a lot of the one’s on display were black. But finally, he found the right one. He looked at the price tag, it was like 5 months worth of rent! He carefully started to undo the buttons of the jacket.

“Excuse me, sir. Please don’t undress the mannequin!” A voice called out behind him. 

He spun around to see another clerk walking up to him. She gave him the same once over as the other clerk had done. 

“Would you like to try it on?” She asked carefully, and Alec nodded with a smile. “Fine, let’s see if I can find it in your size…” She said and walked away. 

Alec took the time to look around the floor. This floor was just as clean and fancy as the rest of the store.. The sitpuffs alone probably cost more than his whole wardrobe put together. This was the kind of place Izzy loved to shop at… And his mother too, no doubt. He hoped the clerk would be back soon. He didn’t want to fail, because he needed the money. At least if he was going to pay his own way through college. Hopefully what he made tonight would cover the first year at least depending on how much he managed to pull together. Then he could be self sustainable, move out. Just like he and Izzy always planned on before she… 

“Here you go, sir. Let me know if I can be of more help.” The clerk said with a false smile, handing him the suit, matched with a white shirt. 

“Thank you.” Alec said and quickly went into a changing room. 

ıllıllııllıllı

Simon had registered as a watcher, and was now watching Alec in a changing room at Bergdorf’s.  _ What are you doing? _ He thought to himself as he saw Alec strip down to his underwear. Simon looked at his friend, he had a few tattoos littering his chest and hip. Simon had seen them before of course, since they had gym together. He was more worried about the fact that Alec was stripping for thousands of strangers at the moment. He could see the steady flow of comments on the video. 

_ ‘I’d hit that!’ _

_ ‘Cool tattoos.’ _

_ ‘Is he going to make it?’ _

_ ‘I did NOT expect him to have abs like that!’ _

_ ‘LOL, are those batman underwear???’ _

_ ‘Nerd alert!’ _

_ ‘HOT NERD ALERT’ _

Simon sighed at the comments. He really hoped Alec knew what he was doing...

ıllıllııllıllı

Alec had put on the suit, and it fit him perfectly. He walked out of the changing room and looked himself in the mirror. He looked like a whole new person. He looked good. He had left the first few buttons of the shirt unbuttoned, and the jacket open. The only thing that looked a bit odd was his converse. Other than that, the suit felt nice, and it clung to his body like nothing he’d worn before. He looked more adult, and he liked it. 

“Alexander?” A voice asked from behind him. 

Alec spun around and was met with the stranger from before. He wore a suit too, but his jacket was light grey with black lapels, and his ensemble was completed with a dark, sparkly, skinny tie, matching his eyeshadow. He looked really hot!

“Hi.” Alec said with a smile. 

“Hello there. You look hot! Very James Bond.” The stranger said with a smile. 

“Thanks, you too. Hot I mean, or handsome or…” He trailed off.

The strangers phone beeped.

“Looks like the watchers want me to do something about those shoes…” He said, pointing to Alec’s converse. 

“Right, uhm, not very fancy I guess…” Alec said with a blush.

“Come on, the shoe department is through here.” The stranger said and took Alec’s hand in his, making Alec’s heart skip yet another beat. 

“What about these?” The stranger asked and showed Alec a pair of italian leather loafers. 

“Hmm, maybe? I don’t know the first thing about shoes.” Alec said with a smile.

“Try them on, what’s you size, kind sir?” The stranger asked him and pretended to be a clerk. 

“Why kind sir, you must know a man never reveals his shoe size.” Alec said and winked, which caused the stranger to laugh out loud, turning a few heads. 

After goofing around the shoe department for a few minutes Alec went into the changing room again to put on his plain clothes. Only, the changing room was empty! He looked around for his clothes frantically, checking the other rooms, but they were nowhere to be found. Now he panicked. He met the stranger outside again.

“Yours too?” He asked and Alec nodded. 

“Someone took them, my clothes, my wallet, it’s all gone!” Alec said in panic. 

“I know, same with me.”

Their phones beeped. 

“No…” Alec said. 

_ ‘Leave the store, $2500.’ _

“Shit. Okay, we make a run for it. Come on.” The stranger said and took ahold of Alec’s sleeve. 

“No! I am  _ not _ shoplifting, are you crazy?!” Alec whispered in panic. 

“It’s $2500!” The stranger exclaimed. 

“Yeah, about half of what this suit is worth! I’m not risking it!” Alec shot back. 

“Then what do you want to do?”

“Well, technically, it only says we have to leave the store, right?” Alec asked and the stranger actually smiled. 

“I like the way you think…” He said, pulling Alec into one of the changing rooms. 

They started to strip out of the expensive suits. The stranger looked at Alec, making him a bit uncomfortable. 

“What?” He asked.

“I never would have pegged you for a tattoo guy.” The stranger said.

“That’s because you don’t know me.” Alec said and actually winked. He was feeling a little daring. 

When they were in just their underwear and their own shoes, they checked to see if the room was empty, it was. They snuck out of the changing room, making their way quickly towards the elevator. They managed to sneak past several clerks and customers, but right before the elevator they came face to face with a customer and she stared at them like she’d seen a ghost. The stranger quickly grabbed Alec’s arm and ran. Once they got into the elevator and the doors shut behind them Alec breathed out. 

“I don’t know if I like this plan anymore.” Alec said.

“I  _ love _ this plan.” The stranger said and looked at Alec from top to bottom. 

“Oh shut up.” Alec said with a smile. 

The doors opened on the 2nd floor and two customers were just about to walk in when they saw the two half-naked men. Everyone froze. 

“Stairs?” Alec asked.

“Stairs!” The stranger confirmed, once again dragging Alec behind him. 

They ran down the stairs, and they were almost at the exit when they were caught by a clerk. They quickly ran towards the exit, the clerk chasing them. When they were outside they ran to the bike. There was a bag from Bergdorf’s on the handle. 

“Here, hold this. It’s probably our stuff.” The stranger said and handed the bag to Alec. 

They got on the bike and drew away before the clerk could catch up to them. While they were driving they saw a bunch of people taking pictures, and they could hear wolf whistles behind them. The stranger drove to a nearby park where there were almost no people. When he stopped Alec got off and looked in the bag. 

“Shit.” He said.

“What? What is it?” The stranger asked. 

“Our wallets are here, but these are  _ not _ our clothes…” Alec told him. 

In the bag were the clothes they had tried on at the store. Them still being better than to run around New York City half-naked, the guys put on the suits. It looked a little funny, them matched with either converse or biker boots. 

“I’m not complaining.” The stranger said with a smile, correcting his tie. 

“I am. That was my favourite hoodie…” Alec exclaimed.

“Really?” The stranger asked with a raised eyebrow. Alec glared at him. 

Their phones beeped again.

“St Marks, you in?” The stranger asked with a smile. 

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“Simon! Hi. Are you watching Alec?” Clary asked. 

_ “Yeah.”  _ Simon responded over the phone.

“Well I’m worried! Who is this biker he teamed up with?” Clary asked. 

_ “I don’t know. We met him at Comet Diner.” _

“What? And you just let Alec run off with him?” 

_ “I didn’t have much of a choice, he’s an adult, sort of.” _

“Hey Clary, Alec’s in the top 10!” Lydia called out. 

“What? How many watchers does he have?!” Clary asked the blonde.

“Like 4.5K.” Lydia said.

“And how many do I have?” Clary asked in a worried voice. 

“Like 6.4K.” Lydia said. 

Clary sighed in relief. “Good, I have a lot more. But seriously Simon, I’m worried!”

_ “I know, me too.” _

“So get your ass to this party and help me help Alec!” Clary said and hung up.


	4. Do you trust him?

Alec and the stranger, yes stranger because he hadn’t told him his name yet, walked into a tattoo parlor at St Marks. When they walked in Alec’s phone beeped. 

_ ‘Let Magnus choose your tattoo, $5000.’ _

“So that’s your name?” Alec asked him, showing his phone to Magnus with a smile. 

“Yes… What did you think it was?” Magnus asked and cocked an eyebrow. 

“You never actually said.” Alec said and clicked accept. 

“I didn’t? How rude of me!” Magnus said with a smile. “Wait, did you just accept that dare?”

“Yeah, another tattoo, it’s not a big deal. Besides, I don't’ know why, but I trust you.” Alec said. “But please, no fire breathing dragons, or skulls, or snakes or any of that macho crap.”

“I make no promises, Alexander.” Magnus teased, and Alec rolled his eyes. 

“Fine, I’ll put it somewhere it doesn’t show.” Alec said with a laugh. 

“Oh, I have the perfect thing!” Magnus exclaimed and started to draw on a piece of paper.

“Seriously? You’re drawing it yourself? You’d better be an amazing artist or something.”

“I’m not. I’m actually terrible.” Magnus said and walked over to the tattoo artist. “Can you do this, but like a lot better?” He asked and the tattoo artist nodded. Alec got in the chair. 

“So where do you want it?” 

“Uhm, like right beneath the collarbone, maybe?” Alec said and then the tattoo artist started to work on whatever Magnus had drawn. 

“You ok?” Magnus asked after they’d been at it a while. 

Alec was focusing on anything other than the sting. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

“You don’t look so fine.” Magnus said while filming him with Alec’s phone. 

“I’m just trying not to think about the pain.” Alec admitted. 

“It hurts? Then why do you keep doing it? You have  _ several _ tattoos…” Magnus asked with a laugh. 

“It’s addictive, you’ll get it once you get your first one.” Alec said with a smile. 

“How do you know I don’t already have one?” 

“‘Cause I saw you half-naked earlier, and you don’t seem like the type who would get a butt tattoo.” Alec laughed out but winced again. 

“True.” Magnus said and made his way over to the tablet that was playing music. 

Soon the familiar tunes of ‘In The End’ started to play, and Alec relaxed into it. He focused on the music, soon forgetting the pain of the needles on his torso. To everyone’s surprise, Alec started to rap along with the song. 

_ “Time is a valuable thing _

_ Watch it fly by as the pendulum swings _

_ Watch it count down to the end of the day _

_ The clock ticks life away” _

Alec winced again and focused harder on the song. 

_ “I kept everything inside _

_ And even though I tried, it all fell apart _

_ What it meant to me will eventually be a memory _

_ Of a time when I tried so hard” _

At the chorus Magnus and the tattoo artist joined in in the singing part. 

_ “I tried so hard and got so far _

_ But in the end, it doesn't even matter _

_ I had to fall to lose it all _

_ But in the end, it doesn't even matter” _

Magnus laughed and filmed Alec, watching the watcher numbers go up, and the comments were flowing freely. 

“Damn, you know how to rap!” Magnus exclaimed happily as he sat down next to Alec. 

“Yeah, my sister Izzy used to listen to that song on repeat, I kind of learned after the 1000th time.” Alec said. 

“Oh, you have a sister?” Magnus asked. 

“I did. She died two years ago, right before starting college. This fall I’ll be older than my older sister…” Alec said with a sad expression. 

“I’m sorry, Alexander.” Magnus said. 

“I like it when you call me that. Izzy was the only one who used to, she was too stubborn to call me Alec like I asked. You two would get along really well.” Alec confided with the hint of a smile. 

“She sounds lovely.” Magnus said with a smile. 

  
“Okay, I’m done. You can go look in the mirror.” The tattoo artist said, and Alec practically sprinted there to see what it was. 

“It’s the green light at the end of the dock…” He said in disbelief. It was perfect. 

“Yeah, you said Gatsby was your favourite, so I figured…” Magnus said, gesturing towards the tattoo.

“You figured right, I love it!” Alec exclaimed. 

“If you ever find your green light, I hope you have better luck attaining it than Gatsby did…” Magnus said with a shy smile. 

“Thank you, Magnus.” Alec returned the smile. 

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“Hey Maia, are you watching GUTS?” Simon asked over the phone.

_ “Yeah, we all are. Why?” _ Simon’s friend Maia asked him.

“Do you know anything about this Magnus guy? I can’t find anything on his profile…” Simon said.

_ “Did you Google him?” _

  
“Yeah, got nothing.”

_ “Then maybe he’s a ghost? I know you’re worried about you little boyfriend Alec, but he can take care of himself, you know.” _

“I know, I just… Maia, I need a ticket to Alicante.” 

_ “No. No way.” _

“Why? I promise I won’t mess it up. I’m not buying some illegal shit, I just want to make sure my friend is safe.” 

_ “Fine. I’ll send you a passkey. Just don’t mess it up, okay?” _

Thank you thank you thank you, I won’t mess up! I promise!”

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“Okay, now they’re asking me if I trust you…” Magnus said as he read the dare. 

“Another tattoo dare?” Alec asked. 

“No, just an address.” Magnus said. 

As they arrived at the address they were met with another player. He had wavy, dark hair, skin a little bit darker than Magnus. The guy handed Alec a big sticker that read ‘New York F***ing City’ and took his picture with it. After that, he disappeared. 

“So that was weird… You know him?” Alec asked.

“Just another player.” Magnus told him cryptically. “So anyway, the dare is to get up to 60 mph on the bike.”

“That’s it? Then why ask if you trust me?” Alec said with a raised eyebrow. 

“I don’t know…” Magnus said just as his phone beeped again. “Oh, shit.”

“What? What’s wrong?” Alec asked.

“Get up to 60 mph… Blindfolded.” Magnus said and looked at Alec with wide eyes. 

“And what? I navigate? No. That is way too fucking dangerous, I’m out!” Alec exclaimed.

“Please, Alexander. I can’t do this without you…” Magnus pleaded. 

“We could  _ die _ , Magnus.” 

“We won’t. I trust you. Don’t you want to see what else is in store for tonight?” 

Alec thought about it. He was curious, but this… Then he thought about Clary, and that awoke his stubborn streak. 

“Fine, where do we get a blindfold?” He asked.

“That sticker is about the same size as my helmet visor…” Magnus said and pointed at the sticker that Alec was still holding. 


	5. Where's the party at?

Lydia was watching GUTS on her phone, scrolling through the different players. Then she checked Alec’s, and her heart stopped. She rushed into the livingroom of the party, where most people were just hanging out and talking. 

“Clary, you need to see this…” She said and swiped her screen onto the big flatscreen in the livingroom.

On the screen was Alec, sitting behind Magnus on the motorcycle. He had a big sticker over his visor that read ‘New York F***ing City.’

“What the hell are they doing?” Clary asked, then she saw the dare. 

_ ‘Get to 60 mph blindfolded, $10.000.’ _

“No way!” She exclaimed.

They were all watching as Alec and Magnus started to drive, they wobbled like crazy. After a while, Alec seemed to get that he could turn the bike by leaning. After that it went a little smoother. Clary still felt her heart pound in her chest. There was a lot of traffic, but they managed to hit every green light, and slowly but surely navigated their way through the traffic. They sped up. One light was turning red… Oh shit. Clary watched as instead of slowing down, Alec grabbed Magnus’ hand and sped up, right into ongoing traffic. They barely got through, inches from being hit by a van. Everyone shrieked. Clary couldn’t stop watching. Her friend was going to die! And all for some stupid comment she had made earlier that day! She felt a little guilty. She continued to watch, they were speeding up in a tunnel. The camera changed view and some watchers in an open van were filming. 

“Malec we love you!” The watchers shouted. 

“We love you too!” Magnus shouted back, voice a bit muffled under his helmet. 

Clary watched them speed up even more. There were 10 seconds on the clock. They were almost up to 60, just a little bit faster. Alec grabbed ahold of Magnus’ hand over the gas and sped up. Then they hit 60 mph with 2 seconds left. Alec shouted out in happiness. Clary could only see the wall they were headed straight at. 

She clutched her drink. She watched them realize that there was a wall and Magnus hit the breaks, making the bike skid and come to a complete stop sideways, missing the wall by less than an inch. They were okay. Everyone at the party breathed out. Then they saw Alec and Magnus kiss. Then they all cheered. Clary got pissed. She could have easily done that. She went to get her phone and started filming herself, determination filling her.

“Okay, watchers. It’s time to step up your game! You and I both know that I should be there in the top 10 box! So please, just give me a real dare!” She said. 

Someone walked in and Clary spun around. It was Jordan, the player who had given Alec the sticker. 

“What’s up Clary.” He greeted. 

“What are you doing here?” Clary asked in suspicion. 

“You’re a good player, Clary. You got a lot watchers, and so do I. Maybe we should thinking about teaming up?” He asked her, walking closer. 

“I’m good, thanks.” Clary said a little nervously. 

Then the door opened again. It was Jace and some other football players. Jace stepped inside and looked between Jordan and Clary.

“You okay?” He asked the redhead. 

“Yeah we’re just talking.” Clary said. 

  
“Maybe you should leave.” Jace said to Jordan.

Jordan looked between them, took a step closer to Clary, and dinged his phone on hers.

“If you change your mind, there’s my number.” He said and disappeared from the room. 

Clary went out into the livingroom again, where everyone was gathered, watching Alec and Magnus. She rolled her eyes and dialled Alec’s number. Her face and two buttons, one red and one green, appeared on the flatscreen. She watched Alec decline her call.

_ “So that’s Clary?” Magnus asked. _

_ “Yeah. I can’t deal with her right now.” Alec said as he swiped red.  _

Everyone in the room looked at Clary, but she kept her eyes on the screen. 

_ “So why are you playing GUTS?” Alec asked Magnus, _

_ “To help out my family, some stuff happened and now I’m dealing with it.” Magnus responded.  _

_ “Do you want to talk about it?” Alec offered but Magnus shook his head. _

_ “No, I’m good. Hey, can I see that picture of Clary again?” Magnus said and pointed to Alec’s phone.  _

_ Alec’s face dropped but he gave Magnus the phone. “She’s pretty, I know. All guys seem to go crazy over her.” _

_ “I was actually admiring the picture itself.” Magnus said with a smile.  _

_ “Oh. Thanks, I took it.” _

_ “You’re good at what you do, Alexander. But I have to ask, why are you hanging out with someone like this?” _

_ “What do you mean?” Alec asked with furrowed brows. _

_ “She seems kind of… Insecure? Is that too mean?” Magnus asked and handed the phone back. _

_ “I know. She is. She never lets you know it though, but she’s lonely too. Her parents are kind of over her so she keeps guys there all the time because she can’t stand the silence. She’s actually kind of sad.” Alec confided.  _

_ “So why do you hang out with her?” Magnus asked as he cocked an eyebrow.  _

_ “I don’t know actually. She used to be my best friend. Now I’m sort of done with her. Like today, she told me that I couldn’t ever be a player, that’s why I’m playing. I wanted to prove her wrong. And look, I was on the most crazy adventure yet, and she’s probably at Jace’s party getting hammered, begging someone to hold her hair while she pukes up everything about herself except for her ego.” Alec said with a laugh. _

Everyone was now staring between the screen and Clary with pity in their eyes. Not only did her friend say those things about her, but it had been broadcast live to thousands and thousands of people who all saw it. She walked out of the room just as another dare popped up on the screen. One for Magnus, and Alec had no idea. 

_ ‘Get Alec to the party and start a fight between him and Clary, $5000.’ _

Clary didn’t see it, she just went to the dancefloor, new drink in hand, and was about to prove Alec’s theory of her. That’s when she saw a couple of guys carry a ladder. Then she heard her phone beep.

_ ‘Walk the ladder to the other side, $4000.’ _

To what side? What did it mean? She followed the ladder and watched as the guys slid it through the window and through another open window on the building across. No. Fucking. Way. Her watchers were real dicks. She gulped audibly as the rest of the party joined in to see what was happening. She downed her drink and went over to the ladder. She threw the cup away and climbed out. She made the mistake of looking down and felt instantly dizzy. She wanted to puke, but held it in. 

People were shouting all around her. They shouted to walk, not crawl. They shouted to bail, that she didn’t have to do this. But she had to. She was the one who asked the watchers to give her a real dare, and now they had. People were still shouting various instructions, but she told them to shut up, which they did not. All the voices made it worse, she couldn’t concentrate. She was scared for her life, but she had to film it, so she took out her phone. She crawled slowly forwards, but they shouted that she had to walk for it to count, so she slowly stood up, and the step she took went right through the ladder, causing her to almost fall off it. Everyone gasped as she lifted her leg up and crawled again. She couldn’t do it, not walking. She put her phone back into her pocket, and a voice called ‘FAIL.’

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Alec and Magnus were in the elevator, on their way up to the party. They were full on making out, the only thing keeping their clothes on was when the elevator doors opening. They walked into the party and everyone there cheered, and congratulated them, and filmed them. Camera flashes were everywhere. Alec felt like he was walking the red carpet, he surprisingly enjoyed being acknowledged like this. Simon was there, and he nodded in greeting. Lydia greeted them with a group hug.

“You guys are like super famous right now! There are like 5 people left in the game.” She said happily. 

“Is Clary still playing?” Alec asked curiously. 

“No, she tried to walk that ladder, but she failed.” Lydia said and gestured to the ladder that was still connecting the two apartments. 

“Holy shit, is she okay?” Alec asked, worried about his friend despite the anger he felt for her at the moment. 

Lydia just shrugged and Alec went to find Clary. He tried several doors, and then he walked into a dim lit bedroom. There was Clary, half-naked and making out with… Jace? Really? The worry disappeared and Alec felt the anger come back, twice fold. Clary spotted him and put on her shirt again. 

“Don’t look so devastated, you never even talked to the guy.” She said with poison dripping down every word. 

“You’re right. And I don’t even know why I’m surprised…” He said and walked out, only for Clary to follow him. 

“Hey! Don’t walk away from me!” She shouted after him. 

He went over to Magnus. “Come on, let’s go.”

“Yeah, just go. Run away from conflict, that’s the Alec I know and love.” Clary spat out at him. 

“You’re the one who wanted me to take risks, Clary. That’s what I’m doing.” Alec snapped back. 

“Right, you’re such a risk taker! Please, show everyone what a dare devil you’ve become since lunch!” She snapped at him. 

“Clary, shut up. You’re drunk.” Simon intervened. 

“Oh, you shut up, Simon! You don’t have to defend him anymore, he’s clearly traded up!” 

“Hey! Don’t snap at Simon, he’s trying to help!” Alec told her. His phone beeped.

_ ‘Finish Clary’s dare, $15.000.’ _

He ignored it for now. 

“Please! You say you’re done with me, well guess what? I’m done with you too! Do you even know why we were friends in the first place? Because I’m fun, and you’re boring! The only fun thing about you was your sister, and now it’s nothing!” Clary spat out, Alec tearing up at the mention of his sister. 

“I mean honestly, Alec. Do you think a guy like that is going to stay with you after this game is over?” The redhead continued.

“Hey, you don’t know me!” Magnus snapped at her.

“Oh, I’m sorry. You actually like him now, that it?” She asked incredulously. 

“Yeah, I do.” Magnus said. 

“You know what, Clary? You’re one of those girls who peaks in high school. 20 years from now you’re going to still be in Staten Island, screwing the same guys, wondering what happened to your life! We’re fucking done.” Alec said and clicked the ‘accept’ button.

He walked over to the ladder and climbed out the window. Magnus ran there to stop him.

“Alexander, stop! What do you have to prove? Come down!” He called out for the raven haired man, but Alec wouldn’t listen.

He took his phone out, filmed himself, stood up, and proceeded to walk the whole ladder over to the other building. When he stepped down into the other apartment he looked back. There stood Clary, a heartbroken look on her face. He scoffed and walked away. 

When he got to the party building again Simon met him in the hallway. 

“Alec! Hey, that was fucked up. What are you doing?” He asked.

“I’m leaving with Magnus, that’s what I’m doing.” Alec said and pushed past him. 

“Did you know he’s played GUTS before?” Simon called out, making Alec freeze in his movements. 

“What?!” He asked his friend. 

“Yeah. And it was his dare to get you here and fight with Clary.” Simon said and showed him his phone. 

“What the hell?” Alec said and looked at Magnus, then he ran out of the apartment, Magnus following him. 

“Hey, slow down!” Magnus called out and grabbed Alec’s sleeve. 

“Is it true? Did you actually bring me here just to fight with Clary? That’s fucked up!” Alec yelled at him. 

“Yes, I’m sorry!” Magnus exclaimed. Watchers were filming them. “Come on!” He said, pulling Alec into the elevator and pushing the emergency stop. 

“What’s wrong with you? I lost one of my best friends tonight, all because of some stupid game!” He spat out. 

“I’m sorry, Alexander. It’s more complicated than that!” Magnus tried to explain but Alec wouldn’t listen. 

“She almost died tonight! I almost died tonight! I’m going to the cops!” Alec exclaimed and unpressed the stop button. 

“NO! No you can’t go to the police, okay, that’s the last thing you want to do tonight!” Magnus told him in a serious tone. 

“You’re crazy. I’m going!” He said and went out the elevator. 

Magnus followed him. There were a bunch of watchers outside, hoodies over their faces. Alec squeezed through the crowd and Magnus tried to follow him, but he was too late. He watched as Alec ran up to a policeman, and he knew he couldn't be there anymore. It was too late. He got on his motorcycle and left, praying for Alec to make it through. 


	6. Well, what if they weren't?

The policeman was no help at all. Alec went across the street to try and get ahold of his mother or father. He was scared. Some of the watchers called ‘snitch’ after him but he ignored them. None of his parents were picking up. He put down the phone in his pocket and almost ran into another man. It was the guy from earlier, the one who had given him the sticker. 

“Sorry.” Alec said.

“No, I’m sorry. But I really gotta win this game…” The man said, and proceeded to knock him out. 

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When Alec woke up, it was to fluorescent lights lining the walls of what looked like the inside of a large container. On the far end wall, the text ‘snitches get stitches’ was written in white paint. He looked around in panic. He listened. The sounds gave away that he might be at the docks. He looked at the other side of the container, and his eyes caught a laptop, just sitting there. He went over and clicked ‘play’ on the video that was on the screen. The computerized voice from before filled the container. 

_ ‘Alec, you are our prisoner. You broke the rules. We told you, snitches get stitches. We now control your life. The only way out is to win the game. Go to the Staten Island ferry. Watchers will find you.’ _

Alec almost cried at what the voice told him. If he was scared before, that was nothing compared to now. He felt panic in his chest, making his heart pound so loudly he could feel it in his ears. He wasn’t claustrophobic, but he needed to get out. He kicked at the wall, it didn’t budge. He kicked it again harder and the container opened. He got out, and immediately ran into Magnus. 

“Alexander! Thank God you’re okay!” He exclaimed and embraced the other man.

“Okay?! Do I look like I’m fucking okay?!” Alec yelled, pushing Magnus away. 

“Alexander, I’m so sorry.” Magnus burst out, unshed tears in his eyes. 

  
“Don’t be fucking sorry! Tell me what the hell is going on!” Alec demanded.

“Me and that guy from before, his name is Jordan. We played GUTS in Seattle last year. We played with this other guy, Jem. We got a dare to hang from a construction crane, and he slipped. He fell down and died. Both me and Jordan bailed, alright. We tried to tell the cops, but they just wrote it off as an accident. Then the watchers took us prisoners, just like you. That’s the 3rd category, Alexander. Watcher, player, prisoner. They control your life, they steal your identity! The only way out is to win.” Magnus explained and Alec listened with wide eyes. 

“Then you have to win!” He exclaimed. 

“No. You have to win, you’re a prisoner now too.” Magnus told him. “I asked the watchers for a dare to knock Jordan out of 2nd place, so it’ll be you and me, and you’re going to win, you understand?” 

“There has to be another way out of this!” Alec exclaimed, exasperated. 

“There isn’t. Call your friends, and meet me in the final round.” Magnus said, and then kissed him. When they broke apart he got on his bike and drove off. Alec called Simon. He knew they had to try something. 

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Alec called Simon from a parking garage where he now waited for his friends. He tried to stay hidden, not knowing when or where the watchers would be. They were out for him. Being a snitch was  _ not _ good… He saw Simon’s familiar car pull in, then Simon and Clary stepped out. 

“Simon! Clary!” He called out, running to embrace the boy and then the girl. When he hugged Clary she told him how sorry she was for everything. “Me too! I’m so sorry Clary!” He told her. 

“I’m just glad you’re okay!” She exclaimed as they broke apart. 

“Good let’s go.” Simon said and stepped towards his car. 

“I can’t. I have to finish the game.” Alec said and both his friends froze. 

“Are you insane?!” Simon finally yelled. 

“You have to bail!” Clary said. 

“I can’t. I’m not a player anymore.” Alec said. 

“Well, good. Then what do you mean?” Simon asked with a look of confusion. 

“I’m not a player, I’m a prisoner. There’s a 3rd category. Since I snitched, the game controls my life until I win. They have access to mine and my family’s accounts, they have our identities, it’s horrible. But I can fix it. I just need to win. Magnus is out there right now making sure he’s the one too meet me in the finals.” Alec explained to his friends who listened intently. 

“Do you really trust this guy, Alec? He’s the one who got you into this mess in the first place.” Clary asked her friend. 

“No,  _ I’m _ the one who got me into this mess. Everything Magnus is doing right now is to help me.” Alec told them and they nodded. 

“So you win.” Simon said. 

“No, that’s the thing. It doesn’t matter if I win, there are more people like me, more prisoners. We have to shut this game down, once and for all.” Alec said and looked at Simon. “You said it was an open source, right?” He asked him. 

“Yeah, why?” Simon asked him in suspicion. 

“Do you think you can hack it?” Alec asked hopefully. 

“Maybe. But it’ll take time…” Simon said and went into deep thought. 

“Clary, can you buy us that time? I think I have a plan.” Alec asked the redhead who nodded. 

“But what are you thinking, more specifically?” Simon asked. “You know all the watchers are anonymous, right?”

“But, what if they weren’t?” Alec asked, realisation hitting him. 

It hit Simon too. “I can work with that!” 

“Good, you guys do that. Did you bring the clothes I asked for?” Alec asked them. 

Clary opened the trunk and handed him a pair of ripped jeans, a t-shirt, and a hoodie. Alec changed into the clothes and folded up the suit, putting it in the trunk. 

“I have to get to the ferry, we’ll talk soon.” Alec said, then added, “Use a payphone.” 

And with that, the friends parted ways. 

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Magnus was standing at 50th and 6th, where the app had told him to go. He looked around, trying to figure out what the dare was. There wasn’t much here, just a couple of restaurants and buildings. Then he spotted the construction crane on one of the buildings… No, they couldn’t seriously… Yes they could. He was instructed to get up on that rooftop, and he knew what was coming. After riding the elevator up he was standing on the rooftop, looking down, a watcher was there. 

“Climb the cranes.” He told Magnus. 

And Magnus complied. He climbed up the crane, his heart beating a mile a minute. He was scared out of his mind. This is the dare that had gotten Jem killed. The one dare he had bailed on last year. The watchers were cruel people… He climbed out onto the crane and tried to take deep breaths to calm himself. Obviously, it didn’t work. Then, out of nowhere, a drone shot up and almost knocked him down. He shrieked but composed himself. The drone had a phone on it with his dare. 

_ ‘Hang for 5 seconds, prize; the final round.’ _

He carefully lowered himself down, but before he could start hanging the screen changed. 

_ ‘Hang with one hand. You don’t have to film it. We will film it for you.’ _

“Are you fucking kidding me?!” He shouted angrily at the drone. 

He hung at first with both hands, giving deep breaths another go. He needed to calm down. He forced himself to do so, slightly, then he let go with one hand and counted the seconds out loud. 

“1, 2, 3, 4, 5. You happy now?!” He shouted and grabbed the crane again with both hands. 

He hoisted himself up, back to safety, and the drone’s phone read: 

_ ‘DARE COMPLETE.’ _

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Clary followed behind Simon after she had made the call at the payphone. They walked up to some ridged door and Simon put his thumb on some type of scanner. The door opened and Clary’s eyes went wide. Inside, there were fluorescent lights, and computer screens everywhere. Simon casually walked in and Clary followed him, watching everything around her in awe. 

“Simon, what is this place?” She asked as they walked past a room full of people playing table tennis. 

“The fastest internet in New York City.” He told her with a smile. 

They walked into another, much smaller room. Inside was a woman with dark skin and tightly curled hair. She wore high waist jeans and a yellow top that clung to her body like a second skin. 

“Simon! What’s up?” She greeted the man. 

“Hey Maia, I’m good. Are the bots up and running?” He asked her and she nodded. 

“Of course! And you must be Clary, I almost pissed myself watching you on that ladder, I’m so sorry about your fail.” She told the redhead with a sad smile. 

“Thanks.” Clary said and looked at her shoes. 

Simon was already tapping away furiously on a keyboard. Clary walked over and looked over his shoulder. 

“What are you doing?” She asked curiously. 

“I’m coding. See, this game is like Wikipedia, anyone can edit but the majority has to approve, right? Just like when you get dares. So if enough people approve what I write into the game, that thing happens.” Simon explained. 

“But how are you going to get people to approve?” She asked. 

“That’s where I come in. I have a whole army of bots, waiting to approve what Simon is typing.” Maia explained with a smile. 

“How’s the game looking?” Simon asked. 

“The final dare is in, shit we only have 20 seconds!” Maia exclaimed, slightly in panic.

“What? Shit.” Simon said, tapping furiously on his keyboard. 

“They’re blocking our bots!” Maia shouted out. 

“What? Simon, do something!” Clary exclaimed. 

“I’m trying, I’m trying!” Simon shouted back, panic clear in his voice. 

Then the whole room went silent as they heard a gunshot from the screen.


	7. Is this what you want?!

Alec was walking towards the Staten Island ferry, keeping his hood on to try and be as invisible as possible. He went up the escalators and the screens there read:

_ ‘Get on the ferry Alec. Watchers will find you.’ _

Alec did what the text told him to do and got on the ferry. It was almost completely empty, so it wasn’t hard to spot the watcher. It was a guy in a skimask, holding something that looked like a crumpled up paper bag. He signalled Alec to follow him, which he did. The watcher dropped what he was holding on a table, right behind a cop! Alec was just about to go and snatch whatever the package was when the cop turned around. Alec hid quickly. When the cop turned back around Alec stealthily walked passed him, grabbing the package smoothly. When he went around the corner he opened it. Inside was a gun.  _ Holy shit! _ He quickly put it back and stuffed the whole package in the pocket of his hoodie. 

When he got off the ferry he followed the directions provided by the app. It was a large stadium, and outside was a masked man. Alec went up to him and showed him the package. The guy opened it, took out the gun, and checked if it was loaded. Then he gave the gun back to Alec and stepped aside. Alec went into the arena. The stands were filled with masked people, watchers. He saw Magnus on the other side of the arena and ran towards him. When they were almost there the computerized voice sounded.

_ ‘Players, step back.’ _

Both Alec and Magnus took a few steps back and looked at each other, waiting for the final dare. 

_ ‘Players, show us your weapons.’ _ The voice said. 

Alec and Magnus took out a gun each. This couldn’t be good… Then a large screen in the stands showed them their final dare. 

_ ‘Shoot your opponent. First one to shoot wins.’ _

Magnus sighed out in disbelief. Alec looked at the screen in horror. 

“No, I’m not shooting you!” Alec exclaimed. 

“Alexander, it’s okay. Just shoot me in the shoulder, I’ll be fine!” Magnus yelled over the cheering crowd of watchers. 

“What if I miss? This is so fucked up!” Alec yelled. 

“You’re not going to miss. It’s okay, just shoot me.” Magnus pleaded but Alec just shook his head. “One shot and you walk away. I’ll be fine.” 

Alec seemed to think it over, then he raised his gun and aimed. Magnus closed his eyes, waiting for the shot. Alec couldn’t do it. He aimed further away and pulled the trigger. Magnus flinched but realized it hadn’t hit him. Alec had shot the ground beside him. 

“I’m not doing this! I’m out!” Alec yelled and the crowd booed. 

Then shots were heard again. Two shots. Alec spun around, expecting to find Magnus with a gun, but the shots weren’t coming from him. They were coming from a man making his way into the the middle of the arena. A man with a smiley skimask on. He was holding a gun pointed into the air. Alec panicked. Was it a watcher? There to shoot him because he wanted out? The man removed his mask. It was Jordan. The crowd of watchers cheered loudly. 

“What do you say we do that dare again? With someone who’s ready to play?!” Jordan yelled to the audience. Then he turned to look at Magnus, gun pointed right at him. 

“Don’t do it, Jordan. It’s not worth it.” Magnus said as calmly as he could. 

Alec ran to stand in front of Magnus, but Magnus pushed him behind him, making the gun point at Magnus still. 

“Do you really want us to kill each other?!” Alec yelled to the crowd and they cheered. “What? Do you think that takes  _ guts _ ? Then take off your mask, let’s see  _ your guts! _ ” He yelled. 

The crowd quieted down a little, not liking to be called out like this. 

“Don’t listen to him! We’re playing to win!” Jordan called out, making the crowd yell their support. 

“Really? You want one of us to  _ die _ ? For a game?” Alec asked them incredulously. 

“Yes, of course you do!” Jordan yelled, egging on the crowd. 

“Don’t you get it? Even if you hide behind those stupid masks and those stupid screen names, you’re all still responsible for what happens here tonight! Every single one of you!” Alec tried to convince the watchers, but they only wanted to hear Jordan out. 

“Get off your high horse. We all agreed, we play to win it all!” Jordan yelled. 

“Then shoot me.” Alec said, turning to Jordan. 

“Alexander, no!” Magnus called out but Alec ignored him. 

“Fine. I’ll shoot you.” Jordan said and turned to the crowd. “Who wants me to shoot him? Vote yes!”

“Vote no!” Magnus tried to convince the watchers. 

Everyone was swiping their answers. After a minute or so, the screen in the stands showed their decision; it was yes. Jordan aimed his gun at Alec.

Magnus ran to stop him, to save Alec. But he was too late. Jordan pulled the trigger, and Alec fell to the ground. 

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“Did you do it?” Clary asked. 

“I did.” Simon said. “The message is out.” 

Simon had managed to get his coding out with the help of Maia’s bots. Now every watcher out there could see their anonymous screen names changed into their real ones. Followed by the text ‘You are now an accessory to murder.’ 

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Magnus ran to Alec’s side, holding the raven haired man in his arms. The stands around them emptied for some reason, but Magnus couldn’t think about that now. He just saw this man get shot. All he could think about was Alec. And Jordan. He felt rage build up inside of him. Jordan walked towards them. It was now only the three of them there. When Jordan got closer, Magnus raised his own gun towards the other man who raised his hands placatingly. 

“You killed him! You sick bastard, you killed him!” Magnus yelled at Jordan. 

But before he could pull the trigger, Alec shot up and knocked the gun out of his hand.

“Don’t shoot him! I’m okay, Magnus. I’m okay.” He said and Magnus looked at him in utter confusion. 

“What? How?” He managed to sniffle out, his eyeliner running with his tears. 

“It was fake. It was all fake.” Alec said with a smile, trying to comfort the other man. “Jordan was in on it.” He offered as an explanation as Jordan walked over and helped them from the ground. 

“Yeah, it was his idea man, Clary called me with the plan. The gun shoots blanks.” Jordan explained. “We good?” 

Magnus nodded, but he was still wrapping his mind around the whole thing. With that, Jordan left the arena. It was just Alec and Magnus now. And GUTS was officially shut down. 

“We’re free now.” Alec said. “All of us.”

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A few months later, Alec was just about done with orientation at Brooklyn Academy of Arts. After playing GUTS, telling his parents about art school hadn’t seemed so daunting. They had of course refused to pay for college, but thankfully Alec had gotten to keep all the money he made while playing the game, so he had enough to pay for school himself, and a dorm room, but that wasn’t really necessary. It turns out, Magnus had a loft in Brooklyn, and he was kind enough to let Alec share that space with him.

Alec enjoyed his life, and he revelled in the fact that he had managed to put together the life that he and Izzy always dreamed about. He missed his sister, but she was still with him at heart. Clary had gotten into NYU, and they got to see each other quite often. They had both apologized since their fight that night, and were now building up a new friendship, one a lot less strained. Simon had started dating Maia, it turns out they had a lot more in common than just being computer geeks. 

Alec walked into the loft after orientation, pleased to find Magnus was already at home. Apparently, when he was not playing GUTS, he was a fashion designer.  _ Creative minds think alike, _ Alec thought. He discarded his bag by the door and walked up to his boyfriend. He kissed him passionately. 

“What was that for?” He asked Alec with a smile once they broke apart. 

“For being you. And for convincing me to keep playing that stupid game that night.” Alec answered with a smile of his own. 

_ ‘THE END’ _


End file.
